Sony Cyber-shot DSC-G3 Review

Overview

Pros

WiFi and web browser

3.5 inch touchscreen

4GB internal memory

Cons

Shorter battery life

Noise at mid ISOs

Hefty price tag

Sony made a splash with its point-and-shoot 10 megapixel, 4x optical zoom Cyber-shot DSC-G3 – the first digital camera with a built-in browser. While it’s not perfect, the G3 is a huge step forward in digicam connectivity since other wireless digital camera implementations limit the user to a single online sharing service.

With the G3’s browser, you can choose from any number of sites and can type in passwords and/or credit card information if you need to pay for WiFi wherever you happen to be. But the G3 is more than just a techno novelty; read on to find out more and whether or not the camera is worth its premium price tag.

BUILD AND DESIGNIn addition to a built-in browser, this slender but solidly constructed point-and-shoot camera is equipped with a mega-sized 3.5 inch high resolution (921,600 dots) Touchscreen LCD and a whopping 4GB of internal memory. With all that memory, the G3 is the perfect device for showing off your images while you’re out and about.

At its heart, though, the G3 is a capable point-and-shoot camera with all the features one expects from a snapshot camera, with a few extras thrown in. You’ll find some good face detection options, Smile Shutter, an anti-blink mode, mechanical image stabilization, and Sony’s DRO (Dynamic Range Optimization). The latter, which helps retain details in highlights and shadows is a trickle-down feature from Sony’s alpha line of digital SLRs.

Ergonomics and ControlsMeasuring approximately 4×0.9×2.4 inches and weighing about 7 ounces, the G3 isn’t quite as slim as some of its siblings but is still small enough to slip into a jeans pocket. It’s a little weighty but that just gives the camera some substance and a good balance when trying to slide the camera open. Actually, it’s more like you have to pull the camera apart in order to power it up, so grip the top and bottom of either side and pull.

Alternatively, you can use the tiny power button to turn it on but you still have to open the camera to shoot. If you simply want to view images, you can leave the camera closed and hit the playback button to review images. There’s a WLAN indicator on the top left edge and a WLAN button on the right that starts up web browser, as well as a zoom switch and that’s about it for hard controls. Everything else is accessed via the touchscreen.

The camera is a little awkward to hold since it’s basically flat when open. But, after a while, you’ll find the right balance.

The touchscreen interface isn’t as responsive as I had hoped. And while the camera comes with a stylus, I found it easier to use my fingertip (or the tip of my nail) to navigate the screen. Be sure to have a microfiber cloth handy at all times to wipe the inevitable smudges from the LCD.

Menus and ModesUnfortunately, the menu system isn’t as clear cut and easy to navigate as other cameras in its class (including the G3’s siblings from Sony). Visually, the icons and text are small and pale against the LCD’s background, making it even more difficult to figure out what you’re doing. This is one camera that, even though it’s a point-and-shoot, requires a thorough review of the manual to really understand all of the camera’s features. Of course, if you’re patient and like to experiment, you’ll eventually find your way around the menu system.

Capture modes are pretty straightforward: Auto, Program, Scene, Easy and Movie. Here’s where the manual really comes in handy since there’s a chart that lists the options available in each mode. For example, Smile Detection Sensitivity can be adjusted in Auto mode but not in the other options. DRO (dynamic range optimization) can be accessed in Program mode but none of the others. However, the G3 is smart enough to tell you when a feature is not available because you’re in the wrong mode-press the “smile” icon and a message appears saying the Smile Shutter is only available in Auto mode. Additionally, the G3 has a very good on-board help function that explains the different settings.

FeaturesWhile the touchscreen interface is less than super-responsive and the menu system can be confusing, the G3 offers a lot of features for a camera of its class.

First and foremost is the WiFi browser. Before you can connect, you need to set up your connection. Once you get it set up, uploading images is relatively easy. It’s just that with anything WiFi, things can become complicated. If you’re comfortable with terms like SSID and know your way around a virtual keyboard (the supplied stylus comes in handy here), then you’ll be fine but just a little frustrated by how tedious the process can be.

Sony offers free access using WayPort and AT&T hotspots through 2012, but I found it just as easy to get a signal at a local Panera while out having lunch. Services such as YouTube, Photobucket, Picasa and Shutterfly are accessed via a Sony portal, so you’ll need an account with an online photosharing site before you start. Perhaps the most frustrating aspect is that you can only upload one photo at a time, which is time-consuming and labor intensive. Still, having a browser is a huge leap forward for digital cameras.

Other features of note include the ability to simply touch the screen to indicate a focus point-which is very helpful when your subject is off-center.

Sony has implemented innovative technology for taking pictures of people that go beyond face detection that ties in exposure and AF to the recognized subjects. Like focus, you can activate face detection only when a face is touched or keep it set to Auto, where the camera will automatically recognize the faces. For even more detail, you set face detection to give priority to children’s faces or to adult faces. At the same time, redeye reduction can be turned off, on or work only when faces are detected so you won’t have the pre-flash delay when you’re not photographing people.

DRO options are not as extensive as they are on Sony’s DSLRs but you can turn the feature off or set it to standard or plus. The latter, of course, would be for higher contrast scenes. DRO can’t create image information (i.e., details in highlights or shadows) that aren’t there but it does a decent job of balancing the range of lights to darks in an image.

Exposure bracketing, normal/vivid/sepia/black and white color modes and three macro options are some of the other features offered by the G3. Autofocus and metering options are available as well.

As a portable photo album, the G3 offers tons of options including on-board organizational and creative tools and some nifty slideshow with music options as well. And a host of retouching options and a fun painting tool are some of the features that round out the G3’s playback selections.

Display/ViewfinderAs expected, the G3 does not have an optical viewfinder. There’s simply no room for one given the LCD’s 3.5 inch size which occupies almost all of the camera’s rear real estate. The display can be set to normal, with lots of camera data (pretty much everything you need to know when taking a photo) or you can opt for a simpler, less crowded view or pare it down so that only the image appears on the screen when you’re composing a shot. You can also choose to show a live histogram to help gauge exposure and then adjust via the EV (exposure compensation) feature.

The LCD is very good under most lighting conditions and is superior for viewing images you’ve just shot or when using the G3 as a portable photo album to show off your pictures to family and friends.

In low light, the screen is a little grainy and doesn’t refresh quickly enough when panning. There’s very little gain up (brightening) of the LCD in low light and even upping the brightness setting to “bright” versus its default setting doesn’t make much difference. But it’s still good enough to compose in low light and works pretty well outdoors in all but the brightest sunlight